Sport Newsletter

Friday, 19 October 2018

Message from the Minister

To say I am excited to see the Arafura Games returning is an understatement. As someone who has both participated in the Games and helped run them in previous years, it is fantastic to see so many Territorians get behind the new-look Games.

Of course, that includes our huge, dedicated and enthusiastic sporting community. Sport plays a vital role in Territory life. It brings people together and keeps them fit. It also provides opportunities for Territorians to travel and gain valuable experience interstate or overseas. I experienced this first-hand through my cricket career, so I know how important sport is for giving Territory athletes a shot at a bigger stage, and helping them forge a bright future. The Arafura Games will play a big role in that, allowing our local sportspeople to pit themselves against emerging athletes from across the region.

But the Arafura Games aren’t just about sport. They are also a vital link between the Territory and our Asia-Pacific neighbours, providing a pathway for the exchange of ideas, investment, business opportunities and goodwill. The ability of events such as the Arafura Games to strengthen business ties and create new ones should not be underestimated. A Business Engagement Program will run alongside the Arafura Games next year, providing a valuable opportunity for Territory businesses to showcase what they have to offer.

Bringing back the Arafura Games after a seven-year hiatus has been a mammoth task, and I thank everyone involved, from the Steering Committee down to the individual sports and the volunteers who have already signed up. The Games would not be possible without a lot of dedication from our sporting clubs and associations, and the time donated by volunteers who might not even play a sport, but love the spectacle of watching those who do. To everyone who has put their hand up to help make the 2019 Arafura Games a success, thank you. Let’s make them an event the whole Territory can be proud of, and a solid foundation on which we can continue to grow the Games into something bigger and better than ever.

1 week until Registrations OPEN!

16 Bennett Street Darwin NT 0800, GPO Box 3333 Darwin NT 0801 Telephone: 08 8999 5256 Facsimile: 08 8941 4628 Email: [email protected] Website: www.arafuragames.nt.gov.au

Athletes & Team Registrations

Registrations open 9:00am Friday, 26 October 2018. All accredited clients (athletes, team officials, technical officials, media and volunteers) will be required to register their personal information including passport details, arrival and departure information and any sport specific information necessary. It is important athletes and teams register through the online portal as soon as possible to guarantee entry. The technical official and media entry portal will not be visible when the registration portal is launched (whilst it is included in the registration system it is hidden from the general public). Each sport will need to send a separate link to Technical Officials to register for their specific sport. If any sports have sport specific media they would like invited there will be a link available for this purpose. If your sport has been communicated as invitational or if validation from e.g. a state or national sports federation is required we will work with you to ensure the system allows this. You will have control over who is coming however you will need to understand the back-end of the system and ensure a responsive service. It’s expected all NT State Sporting Organisations continue to promote the Arafura Games to your State Sporting Organisation colleagues, national and international contacts to fill your competition quota with the best athletes and teams available for a great competition. The entry portal will close on a sport-by-sport basis once your quota is filled. The latest the entry portal will close is 15 March 2019 (6 weeks out from Games) to ensure the required planning can be adjusted around services such as transport, protocol (flags), team attachés, volunteer numbers, meals, ceremonies etc. The 15 March 2019 close date won’t be publically announced at this stage, rather we will communicate that sport entries will close on a sport- by-sport basis and we encourage you to proactively manage this process to avoid disappointment and ensure quotas are filled. We need to be conscious of the possibility athletes and teams will register however not book flights or get the required visas. Communication to all participants through each Sport will help you understand and manage this risk. Department of Business and Innovation (DTBI) are on- board to support the visa process. At the All Sport meeting on Monday, 22 October 2018 there will be a focus on the registration system to educate all sports on the functionality as well as identify challenges. Further details will then be provided in group registration portal training sessions.

16 Bennett Street Darwin NT 0800, GPO Box 3333 Darwin NT 0801 Telephone: 08 8999 5256 Facsimile: 08 8941 4628 Email: [email protected] Website: www.arafuragames.nt.gov.au

Volunteers

Registrations open 9:00am Friday, 26 October 2018.

Volunteers who have currently expressed their interest through the AG2019 website will be required to register on the official portal from 26 October 2018. This process will capture the personal details required along with availability in order to begin the role allocation and rostering process. Please encourage your family and friends to support the Games https://arafuragames.nt.gov.au/volunteers/

Sport Specific Volunteers As the leaders in your sports you will have the knowledge of exactly who you want to join your team to ensure your competition is a success. All of your sport specific volunteers will be required to register on the official portal as mentioned above. Arafura Games Organising Committee (AGOC) will send you a unique registration code specific to your sport. This code must be shared with your group of sport specific volunteers in order for them to be recorded against your sport and not allocated into the general pool of volunteers.

It will be the responsibility of each sport to manage and roster all volunteers required to operate your sport. If you are finding it difficult to secure the required number of volunteers please let AGOC know as soon as possible so volunteers registered in the general pool can be allocated to you.

Make sure you carefully consider how many volunteers you need in total and the types of volunteers you need. Things to consider:  A meal will be supplied for any volunteers that work a 5 hour shift or more.  What does your detailed competition schedule look like? Volunteers will require a briefing at the start of shift and should arrive and be ready to work before athletes and team officials so how long does this make your shifts?  Could your competition schedule blow-out and by how much?  Consider what the minimum number of volunteers you need to run your competition are – prioritise roles and what could be minimised if there are no shows.  Role type – what is required/how physical is it/who should be doing it and their ability/age  Consider the variety of roles offered and whether you will move volunteers between roles to avoid boredom and drop-outs  Training – what do you need to provide so they can do their job?

16 Bennett Street Darwin NT 0800, GPO Box 3333 Darwin NT 0801 Telephone: 08 8999 5256 Facsimile: 08 8941 4628 Email: [email protected] Website: www.arafuragames.nt.gov.au

Venue Precincts

The Arafura Games have been spilt up over the following venues:

Darwin Convention Marrara Sporting Complex Parap Precinct Centre and Waterfront Badminton Athletics Sailing - Darwin Sailing Club - Parap Swimming Pool Dragon Boating Football Muaythai Hockey Indoor Weightlifting Netball Beach Volleyball (TBC) Tennis

Competition Schedule

The competition schedule is the most critical planning document – it affects every piece of planning across every functional area. Some sports have submitted a request to change dates and times. These have been reviewed and the latest and final competition schedule will be available online Wednesday, 24 October 2018. No more changes will be possible unless there is an unavoidable reason for the request. Please ensure you have done the detail behind the schedule and you know your anticipated latest start and finish times and flexibility within the schedule. Contact AGOC as soon as possible if you think a change is needed prior to 24 October 2018. https://arafuragames.nt.gov.au/sports/sports-schedule/

Other Scheduling, Space & Time Factors

Some sports will have a para competition that requires classification. The Australian Paralympic Committee are supporting sports with this process where it’s required. It’s important sports understand the space, furniture, technology and time requirements for classification and ensure requirements are factored in.

Some sports require a famil or training sessions. Have you factored this into your bump in? We can’t be adjusting lights over a court while athletes need to train.

Medal Ceremonies will take approximately 5 minutes for an individual sport and 10 minutes for a team sport. This will vary depending on pathway distances and anthem length however this is a good guide to factor in particularly for sports with multiple ceremonies in one session.

16 Bennett Street Darwin NT 0800, GPO Box 3333 Darwin NT 0801 Telephone: 08 8999 5256 Facsimile: 08 8941 4628 Email: [email protected] Website: www.arafuragames.nt.gov.au

Social Media

Stay Connected!

Share your training, results and photos with the broader Arafura Games community using the following social media accounts.

- Facebook - @arafuragames19 - Instagram - @arafuragames19 - Twitter - @arafuragames19

Don’t forget to use our hashtag too: #AG2019

Key Dates

Date Activity Location w/c 22 October 2018 Sport training on Registration Portal NTMEC office Monday, 22 October 2018 All Sports meeting Darwin Sailing Club Friday, 26 October 2018 Registration Portal Open Online Tuesday, 4 December 2018 All Sports meeting Darwin Sailing Club Friday, 21 December 2018 NTMEC office closed for – Monday, 7 January 2019 Christmas/New Year break Monday, 28 January 2019 Final visa applications to be DTBI submitted Friday, 15 March 2019 Registration Portal Closes Online Friday, 19 April – Easter Weekend – Public Holiday (Fri Monday, 22 April 2019 and Mon) Thursday, 25 April 2019 Anzac Day – Public Holiday and bump in Friday, 26 April 2019 Opening Celebration and The Waterfront bump in Saturday, 27 April – Competition All Saturday, 4 May 2019 Saturday, 4 May 2019 Closing Celebration The Waterfront Monday, 6 May 2019 May Day – Public Holiday

16 Bennett Street Darwin NT 0800, GPO Box 3333 Darwin NT 0801 Telephone: 08 8999 5256 Facsimile: 08 8941 4628 Email: [email protected] Website: www.arafuragames.nt.gov.au

Event Information – FAQs

Keep up to date with the website as this is the main platform to communicate with multiple sports and nations. Information will continually be updated once confirmed. The most recent updates are below:

Transport

A free shuttle bus service will be offered that will stop at all competition venues as well as specific activation/hub sites. There will be multiple load zones within Darwin City and drop- off will be as close to the competition venue as possible. This service will be available to everyone with an accreditation including athletes, team officials, technical officials, volunteers and accredited media. Accreditation will need to be worn in order to gain access.

The frequency of the shuttle bus and exact pick up/drop off points is still to be advised.

Accommodation

It is strongly recommended all athletes, teams and delegations stay in Darwin CBD. Transport links will be easily available and there will be options between the dedicated Arafura Games shuttle and free public transport on all existing routes. Any accommodation outside of the CBD does not have guaranteed transport support.

Sports should be in the process of finalising bookings for Technical Officials and make sure confirmations are made prior to Athlete and Team registrations opening on 26 October 2018.

Opening and Closing Celebrations

Opening and Closing celebrations will take place at Darwin Waterfront. Athletes are expected at both Opening and Closing celebrations if their travel arrangements permit. It’s expected competition schedules will allow for this.

Opening Celebration: Friday, 26 April 2019 - start 18:00 / finish 20:00 (unless advised)

Closing Celebration: Saturday, 4 May 2019 - start 18:00 / finish 20:00 (unless advised)

Athletes will be expected to arrive at both events from 17:00 in order that their arrival into the Celebration events is appropriately managed. The area they should arrive to and be staged in will be confirmed in due course.

Catering

AGOC will not provide dedicated catering to Athletes or Team Officials. Water for Athletes will be provided at all competition venues and AGOC will work with the sport/venue to ensure there are appropriate food and beverage offerings available for purchase.

Water re-fill points will be provided to volunteers and Technical Officials and a meal where shift times permit. Volunteers and Technical Officials will be expected to provide their own breakfast before arriving to their rostered shift.

16 Bennett Street Darwin NT 0800, GPO Box 3333 Darwin NT 0801 Telephone: 08 8999 5256 Facsimile: 08 8941 4628 Email: [email protected] Website: www.arafuragames.nt.gov.au

More Information

We need to communicate and track key information including sport equipment purchased and legacy plans, FOP and athlete preparation furniture requirements, technology and timing, scoring and results requirements and management of information. Please work with us to ensure we are all clear on who is doing what – we can’t afford any surprises. If there is any confusion lets discuss and confirm as soon as possible.

Meet the Team

Our team has recently expanded. With 27 weeks to go until the Games we have 9 full time NTMEC staff dedicated to delivering a successful Games.

Sally Jarvis, Director Arafura Games

Aleisha Sullivan, Sports and Venues

Karen Matthews, Games Services Manager

Lauren Ramsay, Marketing Manager

Meg Knuckey, Head of Operations

Paul Andrews, Program Manager

Sharifa Wilkinson, Operations

Steve O’Brien, Operations Left to Right: Taneille, Paul, Sharifa, Sally, Taneille Brann, Head of Sport and Venues Lauren, Meg, Karen, Steve

Missing: Aleisha

16 Bennett Street Darwin NT 0800, GPO Box 3333 Darwin NT 0801 Telephone: 08 8999 5256 Facsimile: 08 8941 4628 Email: [email protected] Website: www.arafuragames.nt.gov.au